“New promo image for “The Avengers” which would be awesome if only Black Widow wasn’t in a ridiculous and impractical “look at my ass” pose. It just seems unfair that everyone else gets to be heroic and she’s just “Ohai! Pin-Up!” >_<“

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33264340 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F2012%2F05%2Fwhat-if-the-male-avengers-posed-like-the-female-one%2F%22What+if+the+male+Avengers+posed+like+the+female+one%3F%222012-05-07+06%3A46%3A24Waylon+Lewishttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F%3Fp%3D332643 to ““What if the male Avengers posed like the female one?””

I don't think equalizing the genders means making everyone look ridiculous – and also "gay" in a very wan and ineffectual way. It reminds me of those TV commercials about the cell phone service becoming free after 7, and all the women were shrieking in anticipation as they watched the clock? So, predictably, women's groups complained, so the company turned around and did the very same ad, but with men acting like shrieking girls. Equality shouldn't reduce us. But yes, it's funny, what you did, in a most PC and mainstream way, indeed.

If the Black Widow were out in front, Milan-like, and clearly billed as the Top Super-Heroine, and the Hero Dudes were just some ridiculous overdone Macho lieutenants, everyone would applaud it as a huge advance for the cause of feminism and gender equality.

Jus sayin. These are the ridiculous times we live in. It's ALL about "identity" politics and stereotypes, be they old-fashioned sexist ones, or the "new" and "improved" feminist/socialist realist ones.

By the way, apparently it's a damn good movie! Like SERIOUSLY GOOD. Peace.

I looked up the movie on the Bechdel test site and even though the film has three named female characters, it does not have a "female presence", i.e. none of the female characters speak to each other at all, let alone about something other than the male characters. Just something to think about when it comes to feminism and movies. http://bechdeltest.com/view/3205/the_avengers/

Her pose closely mirrors the basic starting stance of many forms of karate. It's the first thing you learn. The angle of her aim makes almost a perfect 90* from that of Iron man, playing a key role in the theme of symmetry that's all over this arrangement, and from a more practical point of view, provides good coverage of enemies that could be approaching from both sides. You wouldn't send a troop of soldiers walking down a street full of potential hostiles with all guns pointed in one direction. If she was flipped around, aiming at the same symmetrical angle, but facing to the left, then you would say that she's showing off her boobs.

As hilarious as this is, I found it hard to find another Avenger's poster like this one. In all the others she is facing the other way, with nothing inhernetly sexualized about her. I wouldn't be too critical. But yea, hulk is hilarioussss.

Overall, I would say that sex sells. And it sells very well. Black Widow is for sure showing some TandA, but guess what? The guys are too. Huge muscles and masculine poses=catching the eye of the ladies.

What? Women are just as likely as men to treat the opposite sex as a sex object? I'm shocked, shocked. And here I thought they might actually like me for my mind as well as my body. I guess we need some feminist consciousness raising groups – for feminists? Who will run them? Men? Enlightened Trannies?

I like the topic of discussion. Here's my take: the female form is significantly different than the male. I guess just to make things equal, men should wear plunging necklines and skirts to work, right? Maybe at a wedding, the man and woman both should wear a big white dress and veil? Would that erase sexism in the world? Why stop at a fantasy comic book? Why not be practical and complain about how different male and female aesthetics are?

I submit that any pose made in a skin-tight neoprene body suit, especially when worn by Scarlett J, will, by default be a sexualized pose. Sure, it’s “empowering,” but her whole character is designed, from the ground up, to be alluring to the target demographic – young males.

Cool, and so what? Every consumer niche deserves its share of the mind candy, don't you think? It boggles the mind why you as a man wouldn't want to see a film that's geared to young males. Should they all watch Milan? Plenty of films are geared to female demographics — indeed, just about every modern sitcom and soap is. And no one says, hey, a little less beefcake please? DOUBLE STANDARD

i don't think they are sexist. both ordinary men and ordinary women might feel intimidated by superhero images – but its a good thing nobody thinks we are supposed to live up to this archetypal representation!

GET OVER IT! IT is never going to change no matter how much PC BS is forced down the throats of the masses. Men like tits and ass, women like security and personality. I use to work in a book store. Our romance novels were the top sellers right behind porn. Men buy porn women buy romance novels. GET OVER IT!!!

First of all you guys need to be able to look at this and laugh because that was the intended goal to get a laugh to be ironic to do something funny second of all as humans we like our media to be oversexualized and so that tends to happen to players on both sides. if you actually SAW the film you would know that most every character is over sexualized hell Iron Man barely keeps clothing on if half the films he is in.

Here is another funny gathering of stills from the movie that very noticeably focused on characters butts making even the men in avengers over sexualized for their body parts.

it seems like a few of the people commenting here haven’t even seen the film so i think it’s a little bit ignorant to discuss how “sexist” or “male-dominated” a film that you haven’t even seen is. To make assumptions about something based on the “expert” opinions of random people on some sort of “test” site and not your own is sheepish and ignorant.

This particular Avengers film(because it is the first of many if you knew the comics) is a fictional tale about SIX fictional male super heros and ONE fictional female super hero so naturally it could be a bit male dominated and that isnt a bad thing. Again if you actually watched The avengers you would see how great of a job Joss Whedon did as a director he always makes the females in his shows and films strong memorable relevant and important characters.

In fact he did so well with Black widow played by Scarlett Johanson in The Avengers that disney and marvel have picked her character up for an origins film based SOLELY on the Black Widow character coming to theaters soon.

The Avengers was an awesome film and this was an awesome post by elephant journal once again helping a nerdy yogi such as myself. Have a fun moment where my spiritual and geeky worlds collide is always great!

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What I think gets missed a lot in conversations lately, is it's okay for people to find people sexually attractive. They pose the woman in a boobs and butt shot that, albeit is out of place, is sexually attractive . . . and SAME WITH THE GUYS! They all have bodies and poses that are assertive and powerful, things that a LOT of women find attractive (seriously, admit it ladies, the romance novel industry that portrays a highly sexualized and unrealistic male stereotype (and gag worthy female stereotypes as well, if you ask me), is far from starving.
People seriously need to stop trying to make other people fit into their sexual ideal. Bring out the guns on rapey behaviour, but freaking hell, admit it, WOMEN OBJECTIFY THE CRAP OUT OF MEN WHEN THEY'RE NOT AROUND. have you ever seen women at a male strip show? Personally, I lost my voice.
As a woman, I'm made to feel guilty because I like a strong, confident, sexually assertive man (provided he's classy). Every time I turn around I'm faced with something that tells me that it's wrong I think that way.
I say we turn it around. Leer at men, cat call them, you know you're already doing it in your head.